Woman stole £13,500 from father's business

AN OSWESTRY woman stole £13,500 from her father's tyre business while he was grieiving the death of his own father.

Karissa Rowe got two female friends to help her turn the forged Lloyds TSB cheques into cash by claiming they were from her late grandfather.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court Judge Robin Onions told 25-year-old Rowe that she had been dishonest and deceitful towards her father and had manipulated her friends.

He told the defendant she had taken large sums and spent or wasted the money and had not shown remore for what she had done.

"You are sorry for yourself and are exploiting the support of your mother and the fault and responsibility is all down to you,” said Judge Onions.
He said Rowe had come ‘very close’ to immediate custody, but gave her a 12 month sentence suspended for two years.
In addition, Rowe was ordered to complete 250 hours unpaid work in the community, and must pay £3,000 compensation to Lloyds TSB who may take civil action to recover the rest of the money.
The court was told the missing money had been refunded to the account of CTS (Shropshire) Ltd, the company run by Mr Christopher Rowe, in Glentworth Close, Oswestry.
Rowe, unemployed, of Albert Road had pleaded guilty to theft of the cheques and obtaining a total of £13, 598 by falsely representing she had the account holder's authority to cash the cheques.
The court heard that Rowe had a troubled relationship with her father and the thefts started a year ago after she had moved back to the family home.
Mr Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, said the company was run from an office at the family home and the loss of the money was discovered in May last year.
He said Rowe had taken three blank cheques and stubs at a time and hidden her tracks by leaving some in between to cover the fact some cheques had been taken.
Mr Beardwell said suspicion had fallen on the defendant and later three blank cheques and a credit slip for £750 were found in her handbag.
In all 22 cheques were used to obtain various sums between £300 and £955 and Rowe got her two friends to put the cheques through their accounts because they also banked with Lloyds TSB. Money was later withdrawn directly or by using cash machines.
Mr Ian Durant, for Rowe, said his client, who had lost her previous good character, had made no attempt to hide what she had done and it had been a childish and misguided attempt to get at her father.